Editors note; The following article originally ran in June
2012 for our “Sports Dads Month” focus on dads we identified as helping to keep
all kids safe.

Being the father of an athlete is a challenging yet rewarding role. At MomsTEAM we think sports dads deserve to be honored, not just on the third Sunday in June, but for an entire month. So we have designated June as National Sports Dads Month and invited some veteran sports dads to share their wisdom by responding to a series of questions (the same ones we asked sports moms in May). We will post a new blog for every day of June, which we hope you will find interesting, empowering, and informative, and that you will share them with your family and friends.

A longtime MLB executive and former GM of the Los Angeles Dodgers says the three biggest faults he has with today's youth sports are the
unrealistic expectations set for participants, the inability of parents
to relinquish control, and a failure to keep the focus on making the
experience a positive one for the youth.

During May Is Sports Moms month, MomsTEAM's Brooke de Lench caught up with four-time Olympic swimming medalist turned Olympic television analyst, Summer Sanders, at her Park City, Utah home.

Sanders exploded onto the swimming scene during her years as a Stanford University student before winning two golds, a silver and a bronze at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. Now a mother of a son and daughter, she has taken her knowledge of the sport outside the pool as a commentator for NBC's Olympic coverage and will be covering the London 2012 Games for a new outlet as well.

A former Olympic swimming great turned television analyst tells MomsTEAM's Brooke de Lench that she is a big proponent of breakfast and of the importance of never skipping the morning meal.

Being the mother of an athlete is a challenging yet rewarding role.
So momsTEAM designated May as Sports Moms Month and has been celebrating
by asking some of our favorite sports moms to share their wisdom by
responding to a series of questions.

We heard from a fascinating range of sports moms, from a mom of an Olympic
athlete to moms who were themselves Olympic athletes, from a moms of
former minor league baseball players and NCAA Division 1 basketball players to a Minnesota hockey mom and
author, from a sports nutritionist to an award-winning health and safety reporter.

A former college softball great and longtime coach would love to change the attitude of entitlement that today's youth possess about sports, and says sport should be approached with respect:
Respect for coaches, parents, equipment, and the game.

Being the mother of an athlete is a challenging yet rewarding role. So, in 2012, MomsTEAM designated May as Sports Moms Month and celebrated by asking some of our favorite sports moms to share their wisdom by responding to a series of questions.

Have you ever taken the time to sit back and really think how fortunate you are as a parent to be able to share your child’s athletic experiences with them?
Do you appreciate how such moments can actually bring the family together? Do you know just how excited your kids get knowing that we are watching them play?

I know that, when you are going through the experience, it is sometimes hard to stop to realize just how fortunate you are to be given these years with your kids.

Someday you will look back at these years, and hopefully in a positive way. I know I have.

As sports parents, it is important to slow down long enough from the whirlwind of raising kids to realize just how lucky we are to be able to share with our children the gift of athletics.

Being the mother of an athlete is a challenging yet rewarding role. So momsTEAM has designated May as Sports Moms Month and is celebrating by asking some of our favorite sports moms to share their wisdom by responding to a series of questions.

So far this month we have heard from a fascinating range of sports moms, from a mom of an Olympic athlete to moms who were themselves Olympic athletes, from a mom of two former minor league baseball players to a Minnesota hockey mom and author.

Today, we hear from sports mom and diet guru, Tammy Beasley:

A sports nutritionist, eating disorder specialist, and sports mom says the biggest lesson her boys taught her was to learn the difference between failure and unfortunate.

Being the mother of an athlete is a challenging yet rewarding role. So MomsTEAM has designated May as Sports Moms Month and is celebrating by asking some of our favorite sports moms to share their wisdom by responding to a series of questions.

So far this month we have heard from a fascinating range of sports moms, from a mom of an Olympic athlete to moms who were themselves Olympic athletes, from a mom of two former minor league baseball players to a Minnesota hockey mom and author.

MomsTEAM: Were you an athlete and what sports did you play as a youth (under 19)?

A nurse and sports mom to four active young kids believes that, now that her own days as a youth athlete are over, it is her turn to pay it forward by volunteering as a cheerleading coach for her 8-year-old daughter's team.

Being the mother of an athlete is a challenging yet rewarding role. So momsTEAM has designated May as Sports Moms Month and is celebrating by asking some of our favorite sports moms to share their wisdom by responding to a series of questions.

So far this month we have heard from a fascinating range of sports moms, from a mom of an Olympic athlete to moms who were themselves Olympic athletes, from a mom of two former minor league baseball players to a Minnesota hockey mom and author.

Being the mother of an athlete is a challenging yet rewarding role. So momsTEAM has designated May as Sports Moms Month and is celebrating by asking some of our favorite sports moms to share their wisdom by responding to a series of questions.

So far this month we have heard from a mom of an Olympic athlete, two sports moms who were themselves Olympic athletes (one a gold medalist), an award-winning health and safety reporter for the Chicago Tribune, the mom of two former minor league baseball players, a mom and writer from Texas with a football-crazy son and cheerleader daughter, a Minnesota hockey mom and author, and a top sports nutritionist.

Lucille O'Neal, the mom of former NBA great Shaquille O'Neal, tells Brooke de Lench, MomsTEAM founder and publisher, about her work with the Boys and Girls Club and Kimberly Clark, what she learned as a sports mom from her three sports-active children.

Being the mother of an athlete is a challenging yet rewarding role. At momsTEAM we think sports moms deserve to be honored, not just on the second Sunday in May, but for an entire month. So we have designated May as National Sports Moms Month and invited some veteran sports moms to share their wisdom by responding to a series of questions. We will post a new blog for every day of May, which we hope you will find interesting, empowering, and informative, and that you will share them with your family and friends.

Today we hear from Meagan Frank, a hockey mom of three, soccer coach, and writer.

momsTEAM: Were you an athlete and what sports did you play as a youth (under 19)?

A hockey mom, soccer coach, and writer says that if she could flip a switch about anything having to do with youth sports, she would make it accessible to any child who wanted to play, and would find a way to make every decision be about providing a positive sports experience for all kids.